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Unit 16: Volpone: Satire and all its Detailed Analysis and Comedy

16.2.5 Scene V Notes

The final would-be heir now appears. He is a merchant named Corvino, and his names mean “crow”
in Italian. He brings a pearl as his gift; Mosca then lets him know that Volpone has been saying his
name constantly; though he is so ill he can barely recognize anyone and is unable to say anything
else. Corvino hands over the pearl, and Mosca then informs him he took it upon himself to write up
a will, interpreting Volpone’s cries of “Corvino” as indicating the Fox’s desire to have Corvino be
his heir. Corvino hugs and thanks Mosca for his help, then asks whether or not Volpone saw them
celebrating. Mosca assures him Volpone is blind. Corvino is worried that the sick man might hear
them talking this way, but Mosca assures him he is dead by hurling abuse in his ear; he then asks
Corvino to join in, which the merchant does gladly. But when Mosca suggests that Corvino suffocate
Volpone, Corvino backs off and begs Mosca not to use violence. Corvino then leaves, and pledges
to share everything with Mosca when he inherits Volpone’s fortune, but Mosca notes that one thing
Corvino will not share: his wife. When Corvino is gone, another caller arrives: it is Lady Politic
Would-be, the wife of the English knight Sir Politic Would-be, but Volpone does not want to talk-or
do anything else-with her, so she is not let in. Mosca explains that Lady Politics’ reputation for
promiscuity is overblown, unlike Corvino’s wife; she is not beautiful enough to be promiscuous.
According to Mosca, Corvino’s wife is perhaps the most beautiful woman in all of Italy. Volpone is
inflamed by Mosca’s description, and vows to see her. Mosca explains that she is never let out of the
house by the insanely jealous Corvino, and is kept guarded by ten spies. Volpone nevertheless is
resolved to see her, so he decides to go in disguise-but not too well disguised, since this might be his
first introduction to the beautiful Celia.

Analysis
The final scene is in many ways a conclusion of the scenes with Voltore and Corbaccio. Corvino is
not particularly different from the first two characters in terms of his intentions in the scene, or in
the way he is thoroughly gulled by Volpone and Mosca. Volpone “What a rare punishment/Is
avarice to itself,” thus noting the poetic justice of their act, the way it is a perfect retribution for the
prospective heirs. Though that last quotation can also be considered an instance of foreshadowing.
Volpone will be punished himself in Act V, also as a result of his own greed; as Jonson wishes to
convey an unambiguous moral message in the play, in the end all greed will be punished, even that
of the likeable Volpone. A couple of other developments combine to presage future plot developments
in the play. First, there is Mosca’s suggestion that Corvino kill Volpone. It is out of keeping with
what Mosca has said before in terms of its violence; and though it is taken as a joke by Volpone, it
does raise some doubts about Mosca’s loyalty, and also serves to initially associate Corvino with
violence—an association that will be strengthened in the following acts. This scene also introduces
Corvino’s, who will be Volpone’s love interest in the play. The love interest gives the plot added
impetus; if the play focused entirely around Volpone’s con-game, it would in the end prove tiresome;
but we instead end the Act with a determined Volpone vowing to introduce himself to a beautiful
woman, a source of suspense (especially to anyone with a romantic streak). Taken on one level, the
main plot of Volpone is a fable; each character are each personifications of different animals, in a
story that has a direct moral message. “Volpone” means “Fox” in Italian, and “Mosca” means “Fly”.
In many of Jonson’s plays, a name gives a strong indication as to the nature of a character, and this
play is no different; Volpone is the “cunning” Fox, who appears wounded; “Mosca” is the parasitical,
insect-like creature, circling around the Fox, and occasionally feeding off of him (gold, in this
metaphor, takes the place of Volpone’s flesh). Voltore, Corbaccio and Corvino act like the carrion
birds they are named after (the vulture, the crow and the raven, respectively), by circling around
the Fox and waiting for him to die. But the Fox is craftily faking his wounds, and the Fly helps him,
and the birds end up losing their feathers (their wealth). This simple fable helps clearly enunciate
the meaning of the play and it also suggests that the main characters in the play are somewhat
“beastly”; they are acting out animal instincts, and not listening to the voice of conscience and
reason; in short, they are not fully human.

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